Pope Benedict XVI: 5 Ways He Changed the World of Roman Catholics

Pope Benedict XVI has made an impact on the Roman Catholic community. Here is a look back on the way he's changed the world.

Defender of Church Doctrine

In 1981, Cardinal Ratzinger was appointed Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith, which oversees Catholic doctrine, and retained this position until he was elected pope. As Benedict XVI, he brought this experience into the papacy, steadfastly holding to and teaching the truths of the Catholic faith. As secular influences continue to invade the Church worldwide, Pope Benedict emphasized the dangers of moral relativism and the importance of basic Christian values that have stood the test of time:

“We are moving toward a dictatorship of relativism which does not recognize anything as definitive and has as its highest value one's own ego and one's own desires... The church needs to withstand the tides of trends and the latest novelties.”- Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, April 18, 2005

The pontiff spoke of the great joys of the Catholic faith and stressed the many ways the Church says “Yes!” to combat the secular view that Catholicism is the “Religion of ‘No’”.